Client and Therapist Assurances

Thank you for taking the time to read these guidelines. If you have any questions about this information, please feel free to ask them of the clinical staff. We feel that this information will make your contact with us more productive and satisfying. Students or those who have comments about the Counseling Center policies are encouraged to call or write to the Rice Counseling Center Director.

Confidentiality

Telephone messages left for you will not mention the RCC and will be left in the first name of the caller. If you prefer that messages be handled in a different way, please discuss this with your counselor.

Since the staff of the Rice Counseling Center cannot guarantee the privacy of email communications, we do not use email for clinical purposed and ask students to do the same. This includes setting, canceling or changing appointments.

Limits of Confidentiality

In general no information about your counseling will be released outside
of the Rice Counseling Center to anyone without your written
authorization. However, there are certain legal limits to
confidentiality and these include the following:

A. When there is a probability of imminent harm to you, another person, or the Rice University community as a whole or as a probability of immediate mental or emotional harm to you, your therapist may act to do what is necessary to protect you or others;

B. When a court of law orders a therapist to release information, the therapist is bound by law to comply with such an order;

C. When an individual has reason to believe that a child or an elderly person is in danger of, or is being physically, emotional, or sexually abused, that individual is obligation by law to report such abuse to the proper authorities;

D. When information is required to be disclosed as part of criminal proceeding;

E. If a therapist or the consulting psychiatrist has reason to believe that a student has been the victim of sexual exploitation by a former mental health provider during a course of treatment, he/she has a legal duty to report the suspected conduct (though the victim's identity may remain anonymous); and

F. As otherwise provided by law, such as those situations discussed in Texas Health & Safety Code Chapter 611.

Respect

The therapist can be expected to respect you as a human being and convey this respect by:

Keeping appointments or attempting to contact you if a change in time is necessary.

Giving you his or her complete attention during sessions by avoiding unnecessary interruptions.

Providing the most effective assistance he or she can.

Negotiation

Discuss any questions, suggestions made by a therapist, or approach used with the therapist.

If you feel that these suggestions are not appropriate you may refuse to accept them.

Evaluation

Clients are encouraged to discuss their progress and review their goals with the therapist

Clients will be given treatment evaluations to complete anonymously

Clients who feel they are not making progress may decide to terminate or be referred to another therapist or agency

Concerns about any RCC staff should be directed to the Director of the Rice Counseling Center